20090-20091
EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 20090-20091
20090. The Legislature finds and declares the following: (a) Museums do important work that helps the state meet its obligations to residents in the field of education. Museums contribute to formal and informal learning at every stage of life, from the education of children in preschool to the continuing education of adults. (b) Museums are a significant resource for in-service training of California teachers. A great potential for a relationship between museums and educational facilities exists. (c) Museums are an important means of making art, science, history, and culture available to California residents. (d) Museums provide an economic boost to their communities by attracting tourists and local visitors, all of whom create a demand for services. (e) Museums often help define the public identity of a community, and serve as a foundation of its cultural identity. A museum has the legacy of its community as the heart of its mission. 20091. To the extent that funding is available for such purposes, the endowment shall establish a program to assist and enhance the services of California's museums and of other groups and institutions that undertake cultural projects that are deeply rooted in and reflective of previously underserved communities. This program shall give priority to: (a) Enhancing opportunities for superior museum and cultural program services. (b) Encouraging museums and cultural programs to provide services to school pupils, including any of the following: (1) Curriculum development. (2) Schoolsite presentations or workshops. (3) Teacher training. (4) Reduced price or free admission of pupils to museums. (c) Collaborative projects and technical assistance to coordinate the work of eligible museums and cultural programs and to enhance the ability of museums and cultural programs to serve the public. Priority shall be given to any project that does any of the following: (1) Assists an eligible museum or cultural program in serving an historically underserved population. (2) Aids a museum or cultural program in diversifying or expanding its audience. (3) Aids a museum or cultural program in raising its professional standards in order to better serve the public. (d) Projects that increase accessibility to museums' and cultural programs' collections and services.